Studios

Arch 4022 Core II Studio

The second semester of the M.Arch I Program builds foundations for architecture, including conceptual, technical, and theoretical dimensions of how we design. The first part of the semester includes two short projects. The first focuses on the observations of the everyday world, forming a program from the observation, and then designing a small building to fulfill the purpose - a small building that will fit within one parking space in a parking lot. The second project involves the design of a site, not a building, working in and on the landscape to explore formal composition of sitework, landscape as architecture, as well as technical aspects of topography, grading and drainage. The project is a small cemetery.

The second part of the semester involves two related projects. The first is a brief urban analysis to establish an urban design framework for the final project. This analysis, which will be conducted in teams, includes aspects of historical development, current conditions and issues, and predominant building and urban types. The second project is a building design, drawing on lessons and conclusions from the previous exercises - an urban infill building with a hybrid program, including housing and another use. The purpose of this final exercise is to combine a full range of design concerns in a single project: urban, site, and program resolved in the horizontal and vertical organization of space, enclosures, and construction.

Arch 6151 Theories of Urban Design

Urban design engages cities in three distinct ways:

• First is the organization of territory.
• Second is the design of public territory.
• Third is the design of private territory.

Urban design is practiced in architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, planning and real estate development offices. Urban design theories (strategies might be a better term), whether consciously recognized or not, guide these practices. The objectives of this class is to explore these current positions from two perspectives: an understanding, at least in part, of contemporary cities and an understanding, at least in part, of the lineage of architectural and urban design thought that supports these positions.

Arch 6154/CP6832 An Introduction to Urban Design

Urban Design is a composite activity, weaving architecture, planning, landscape architecture, civil engineering and other design disciplines. We design cities when we design buildings, streets, parks or zoning ordinances. We also design urban projects - greenfields, brownfields or greyfields or projects to preserve, restore or reconstruct existing city neighborhoods or districts. Urban Design is a part of the everyday practices of our professions. This course, as an introduction to urban design, has three purposes:

• First is to understand the design framework of the city and how our work is situated within it. This framework includes three parts. The organization of territory into public and private realms, providing an urban structure - lots, blocks and streets - to be built over time. The design of the public realm - streets, parks, public buildings and spaces. And the design of the private realm - houses, shops, offices, churches, parking lots, gardens, etc.
• Second is to provide an introduction to urban design thought and urban design strategies. This purpose is to understand the empirical evidence of both traditional and contemporary cities, the design strategies shaped them in the recent past (the Garden City Movement, the City Beautiful Movement and CIAM), and are shaping them in the present (the Congress for the New Urbanism, Landscape Urbanism and Everyday Urbanism).
• Third is to explore design issues and questions for the organization of territory, design of the public realm and the design of the private realm. This will involve lectures, readings and direct observation of urban project types: streets, houses, blocks, parks, shopping centers, office parks, etc. along with understanding the relationships to zoning, subdivision regulations and public works standards. The purpose of this part of the course, which includes about half of the semester, is to provide the basic knowledge needed to design urban projects or to design regulations for public or private development.


• Arch 7045: UD Workshop
• Arch 7060: Critical Positions
• Arch 8801/3 UD Methods Lab